September 2, 2022 will mark the historical milestone of realisation of Nation’s commitment towards ‘Aatma Nirbharta’, a landmark date for the Indian Navy and the entire Nation with the commissioning of the first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier  ‘Vikrant’. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be the Chief Guest on this momentous occasion. Vikrant is the largest warship to have ever been built in India. It is also the first indigenously designed and built Aircraft Carrier for the Indian Navy.
Designed by the Warship Design Bureau , Indian Navy's in-house organisation and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited , a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier is christened after her illustrious predecessor, India’s first Aircraft Carrier which played a vital role in the 1971 war.
‘Vikrant’ meaning victorious and gallant. The foundation for the prestigious IAC was firmly established in Apr 2005 by ceremonial Steel Cutting. The warship grade steel required for the construction was successfully indigenised through SAIL in collaboration with DRDL and the Indian Navy. A major spin off is that the country has become self-sufficient with respect to warship steel. The ship’s keel was laid in Feb 2009. The first phase of ship construction was completed with successful launch of the ship in Aug 2013.
The 262 m long and 62 m wide Vikrant displaces approx 43,000 T when fully loaded, having a maximum designed speed of 28 knots with an endurance of 7,500 NM. The ship has around 2200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1600 that include specialised cabins to accommodate women officers and sailors.
The Carrier is designed with a very high degree of automation for machinery operations, ship navigation and survivability. It is equipped with the latest state of the art equipment and systems including a state-of-the-art Medical Complex with latest medical equipment facilities.
The Ship will be capable of operating air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters  and Light Combat Aircraft  . IAC uses a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off but Arrested Recovery .
Readiness of ship’s propulsion and power generation equipment/systems in harbour was tested as part of Basin Trials in Nov 2020. Vikrant has successfully completed multiple phases of Sea Trials from Aug 21 till date, where the ship’s performance was ascertained.
The deck integration trials of fixed wing aircraft and exploitation of Aviation Facility Complex will be carried out post commissioning of the ship when the operational command & control of the ship including flight safety is with the Navy.
Vikrant has a large number of indigenous equipment and machinery, involving major industrial houses including BEL, BHEL, GRSE, Keltron, Kirloskar, L&T and Wartsila India as well as over 100 MSMEs. The indigenisation efforts has also led to development of ancillary industries, besides generation of employment opportunities for 2000 CSL personnel and about 13,000 employees in ancillary industries. Indigenous content of the project is approx. 76%.